The Burustralians Have Arrived at the World Cup

When Nestory Irankunda scored the opening goal in Australia’s first World Cup match on Sunday, it was not just Socceroos fans in Australia celebrating.

Thousands of kilometers away, Burundi took notice.

Irankunda scored in the 27th minute against Turkey, helping Australia to a 2-0 win in its Group D opener. For Australians, it was a perfect start to their World Cup campaign. For many Burundians, it became something more personal.

Burundi has never qualified for the men’s World Cup. But through Irankunda, many Burundians suddenly had someone to watch, someone to cheer for, and, maybe, a team to borrow.

That team is now the Socceroos. And their new fans are called, as one commenter put it, “Burustralians.”

For the person behind Burundi on the Map, one of the most visible Burundi-focused Instagram accounts, the reaction was immediate and emotional (The account operates anonymously, so they asked to be identified by the account’s initials, BOTM).

“That was a deeply proud and emotional moment for us,” BOTM tells OkayAfrica. “He became a bridge connecting Burundians living in Burundi to Burundians scattered across the diaspora. Particularly the youth. Particularly those active on social media, who move fast and feel deeply.”

“‘Burustralians’ is more than a fun word. It’s a statement of loyalty,” they add. “It means we support our own, no matter which flag they wear.”

That kind of support matters especially in sports, where many Burundians in the diaspora quietly wonder whether their own people will still stand behind them if they compete for another country.

“Our answer, loudly and clearly, is yes. Always,” they say. “We still see you. We still claim you. You are still one of us.”

For Burundians in Australia, that support is not abstract. Happi Uwingabire, a Burundian-Australian business owner based in Perth, describes the community as tight-knit, even across different states. People stay connected largely through church, Burundian events, and football. That closeness meant Irankunda was already known before he reached the World Cup stage.

Uwingabire says she had seen him play through community football circles and African community tournaments in Australia long before he became a World Cup name.

“From the beginning, I think everybody knew he was special,” she tells OkayAfrica. “He has always been a great footballer.”

“When he scored for Australia in the World Cup, I was genuinely screaming,” she adds. “I stopped everything that I was doing, and I was completely locked in. It meant everything to us, because being Burundian and being from such a small country that a lot of people aren’t familiar with here in Australia… it just meant everything to me.”

For her, Irankunda represents both sides of that identity. He has lived most of his life in Australia, but his name and family still connect him to Burundi.

“He definitely represents what it is to be a Burundian-Australian very well,” she says. “Not only is he representing our country, Australia, that we live in, he’s also representing Burundi.”

That is the story Irankunda’s presence has opened up. His World Cup moment did not introduce him to Burundians in Australia as much as it amplified a relationship that had already been building. Long before his World Cup debut, many had been following the joyful, backflipping winger who once lifted a Burundian flag after an Adelaide United match. To them, it was proof that his roots mattered to him, too.

Even the backflips felt familiar. Uwingabire says Burundian footballers have long been known for celebrating that way.

Now, with Burundi absent from the World Cup as a national team, his rise has given Burundians at home and abroad someone to rally behind because he feels familiar.

Part of that connection is biographical. Irankunda was born in a refugee camp in Tanzania to Burundian parents, and his family later moved to Perth when he was still a baby. They later settled in Adelaide, where he came through the local football system, joined Adelaide United, earned a move to Bayern Munich, and now plays for Watford in England.

The pride was also tied to what he had done on the pitch itself. At 20 years and 125 days old, Irankunda became the youngest player to score for Australia at a World Cup.

But beyond his achievements, the connection runs deeper. Like him, many Burundians living abroad are part of families shaped by displacement, conflict, and migration.

“His story feels familiar to a lot of Burundians,” BOTM says. “Not because everyone becomes a professional footballer, but because so many families have experienced displacement, rebuilding, and starting over in a new country. Nestory’s journey reflects that reality. People see parts of themselves, their parents, or their communities in his story.”

Uwingabire sees that connection too, but says Irankunda should not be reduced to only a refugee or migrant story.

“He’s more than just a refugee,” she says. “I feel like once he’s labeled as that, it minimizes everything and people just focus on that more.”

For her, Irankunda’s rise also reflects what African communities bring to Australia.

“He’s such a wonderful representation of what it means to be a multicultural country,” she says. “We bring so much to the society that we live in as Africans in general. We bring food, culture, music, dance, and football. We bring so much flavor into Australia.”

At first, many people in Burundi did not know Irankunda was of Burundian origin, or that a young man with Burundian roots was playing for Australia at the World Cup. That changed once Burundi on the Map told its 175,000 followers that the account would be supporting Australia because of Irankunda

Soon, the footballer’s face was moving across Burundian media and social feeds. People shared clips, celebration videos, and messages of pride. The phrase “he is one of us” spread quickly.

That sense of shared pride has spread beyond Burundi, including Tanzania, where Irankunda was born and where his family found refuge before starting over in Australia. Burundians are also supporting their neighbor, DR Congo, which drew with Portugal in their first World Cup match in decades.

There is something very World Cup about the whole thing. A country can suddenly adopt another country’s team. A player can make people far outside Australia check the Socceroos’ next match like they have been supporters for years. And even for Burundians already living in Australia, Irankunda has changed the emotional stakes.

Uwingabire says she has always supported Australia, where she has lived for more than 20 years, but Irankunda changed how closely she followed the national team.

“I had never gone to watch a game that the Socceroos had played until Nestory started playing for them,” she says. “That’s the type of influence he’s had.”

When Australia takes the field on Friday to face the United States, that new support will be on full display. 

“Burundians everywhere are watching one of their own shine on the world’s biggest stage,” BOTM says. “The joy is real, it’s loud, and it is deeply, deeply felt. This isn’t just happiness about a football result. It’s the kind of pride that comes from seeing yourself represented somewhere you’ve never been before.”